Dinos fail to ground the Hawks at homecoming

Chris Wharram shouts out words of encouragement to the Dinos defensive line prior to a snap by the Hawks. The Dinos hosted their annual homecoming game last Friday and fell to North Sanpete 26-0.

The Carbon Dinos hosted the annual homecoming game last Friday as the North Sanpete Hawks visited the Dino field. The game was an important match up for both teams who are battling for the top spot in the region eight standings.

Entering the game, the Hawks were ranked number one in the standings, but the Dinos were determined to knock North Sanpete down the ladder. With standings and pride on the line, the Dinos ran onto the field filled with determination.

As the ball game got underway, it was obvious that this would be a physical game. With helmets crunching, the Dinos stepped up to hand the Hawks a challenge. The Hawks answered with their own style of physical play which the Dinos struggled to beat.

The Dinos offensive line had a difficult time on the line of scrimmage. Throughout the game, the Hawks managed to beat the Dinos as soon as the ball was snapped. This is a problem that coach Jeff Jorgensen feels is in need of attention.

"We got beat up on the line of scrimmage. We will be working on the fundamentals of the game this week and get back to playing good old fashioned football," explained Jorgensen.

By the second quarter, the defensive line of the Dinos had ran into problems of their own. The Hawks scored 20 points in the second quarter to bring the halftime score to 20-0.

According to Jorgensen, the defense struggled on the outside perimeter. "We need to work on blocking, especially the pass block," explained the coach.

After returning from the locker room after the half, the Dinos continued to struggle to make sparks fly during the homecoming game. In fact, the Dinos gave up 18 points punting during the frustrating home game.

The Hawks managed to score six more points in the fourth quarter to bring the final score to 26-0. The Dinos record now stands at 0-1 in region eight competition and 1-4 overall for the season. The Hawks remain on top of the region standings with a 5-0 overall record.

The Dinos will have a much needed bye this week as the team prepares for action which will resume Oct. 4 in Delta. During this time, the Dinos will work on the basics of the game and get back to playing Dino football.

"Delta is a good team. We need to improve our skills and get ready for them. This will be a big game for us since it is a region eight game," explained Jorgensen.

As the team prepares for Delta, they will try to put last week's game behind them in order to proceed with the remainder of the season.

Despite having a 0-1 region record, the Dinos still have a chance at the state title as long as they play strong the remainder of the year. The team must however defeat as many of the region eight teams as possible to gain a seed in the playoffs later this fall. Staying focused is the key for the Dinos to finish the season on a winning note.